A Family
by TitaniumA
Summary: SSA Lara Morales has been recruited to the BAU in the hopes that she will distract the team from Prentiss's return and the things that come with it. Original cases, and eventual Reid/OC.Possibly.
1. Chapter 1

"The fourth in five weeks? That's not a long time," Morgan said thoughtfully.

"San Francisco's a big place, sweetheart. And it could be more. The San Fran PD narrowed it down to those reported missing under the alike conditions," Garcia pressed a button again and the passport photographs of three more men appeared.

Everyone including Lara had already realised why they thought this was a serial killer as they looked at the pictures. They all uncannily resembled each other.

"All brunette, middle-aged, well- built and well off men with families," Garcia stated.

Dr. Reid tilted his head slightly to the side. "But that's one of the most common descriptions of men with money. As horrible as this sounds, all of them could've been kidnapped by different people for cash, and Thomas Colroy refused."

Garcia nodded. "Possible, whiz kid, but all of them live within a ten square mile radius. Also, none of them are known for being gentle giants when it comes to their businesses. Thomas Colroy had thirteen stab wounds and a number of bruises but cause of death was a bullet. Just missed his heart but punctured his lung." She winced in disgust.

Lara could see the clogs turning in all of their heads and realised they never did a half job. When they worked a case, they put in their all.

"Wheels up in thirty," Hotchner said. Lara stood up along with everybody. She had luckily brought her ready-to-go bag with her today instead of tomorrow. "I hope you don't suffer from jet-lag Morales, because this is going to be a long flight."

::::::::::

JJ set up a laptop on a table in the expensive jet. Lara was, for a lack of a better description, a little more than pleasantly surprised by the interior and exterior. It was quite impressive. Penelope Garcia, in all her colourful glory, appeared on the screen.

"Talk to us Baby Girl," Morgan said, leaning on his arm. Lara hid a smile and wondered, not for the first time, if something was going on between them.

"Read my lips Sweet Cheeks. The one big link we can see between the men is that they each set up their own businesses. Not exactly Microsoft, but apparently they acted like it was," she informed them.

"So it could be a recently fired employee, a rival or someone who's jealous," Lara surmised. She really wanted to be of use, and wanted to input anyway she could.

"What are the estimated abduction times?" JJ asked. Garcia squinted her eyes like she was trying to remember.

"All around eight to eleven pm."

"That's not that uncommon. How long after he was reported missing was he killed?" Rossi questioned, leaning back in his chair. Lara still wasn't sure if he was okay with her being there. But that was probably just nerves and an overactive imagination talking.

"Coroners think it was most likely a day. He was reported missing a week ago, but the wife had to wait forty eight hours before filing the report, so it was eight days until they found him. The body was found in a dump site," Garcia replied.

"But why keep them for a day?" Rossi continued, trailing off. Morgan shook his head, guessing.

"Maybe it's just to show that he's in charge? Tortures him for revenge for being fired?"

But all in all the six hour long coast-to-coast flight hadn't been too draining. Lara had spent the rest of it considering the uses of a private jet. She knew they had one but … Well, suffice to say, it was comfortably furnished.

They arrived at the police department. Immediately a black haired women and a greying man approached them.

"I'm Detective Jessica Stevens and this is Detective Daniel Lane," the woman said, indicating the man. Hotchner shook hands with them both as he introduced the profilers to them.

Detective Lane cleared his throat as the team made it's way in between cubicles to a collage of photographs of the men on a board. "When we found Thomas Colroy's body he had all his stuff. Homeless people visit that area looking for anything of use but despite his polished appearance, nothing seemed to be missing."

"What's this?" Reid asked, pulling a photo off the board. Lara strained her eyes to see it. It looked like grease proof paper except with logos dotted around it.

Stevens pulled another photo off the board, but kept it turned around, her eyes scanning the room. "I was about to get on to that. It's used to wrap up things like burgers and fries in a local pizza take away place called _Luigi's_. It was found in Colroy's breast pocket."

"We have the owner of the place here. He came in himself," Lane interjected.

Hotchner nodded and snapped straight into work mode. "Dave and Morgan, you two ask him a few things. Detectives Stevens and Lane and I will gauge his responses. I want JJ and Reid out to _Luigi's_ asap."

"My guys can show you where it is. But there's another thing," Stevens said and glanced around nervously. "We think he was tortured. This was on the back of the grease-proof paper."

Grimacing, she turned the picture around. On the back of the paper, scrawled in messy, bold letters, was the word, 'HELP'. Lara, JJ and Reid winced.

Hotchner's face remained stoic as he said, "Prentiss and Morales, go and talk to Thomas's family. Ask about work and friends. We'll take anything we can get."

::::::::::

Lara followed Emily up the steps to the house. It was big, that was for sure. A sleek black car sat in the drive. Lara gave a low whistle when they passed it.

"That wasn't cheap," Emily muttered, admiring the car from the corner of her eye. She knocked lightly on the door. A woman with iron grey hair opened it. Both Lara and Emily showed their credentials.

"We're with the FBI. If you don't mind, could we come in?" the woman nodded at Emily and plodded into the house. She and Lara shared a look. The woman definitely wasn't Thomas Colroy's wife. They both stepped inside.

Another woman, around forty years old, was sitting on a burgundy sofa. Her eyes were red and puffy and the older woman had a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm Carol. This is my daughter, Rose."

Lara smiled at Rose Colroy gently. "Mrs. Colroy, I'm Agent Lara Morales and this is Agent Emily Prentiss. We'd like to ask a few questions, if that's okay with you." Rose sniffled and nodded but her mother rolled her eyes.

"Of course it's okay. I let you in, didn't I?"

Lara and Emily quickly exchanged a glance. Lara really hoped the mother wouldn't make this more difficult than it had to be.

"How important was work to your husband? Did he bring it home with him?" Emily asked, keeping her eyes on Rose, who opened her mouth but Carol interrupted her before she even started.

"Bring it home with him? Work was the man's home. He certainly felt more comfortable there than here anyway."

Rose looked hurt and scandalised. "Mother!" Lara and Emily shared another look. Lara stood up and smiled at Carol.

"Miss, can I speak to you in private?" Carol narrowed her eyes at her but glanced at her daughter. Rose nodded, telling her it was okay.

"Of course," she said stiffly. They both walked into the kitchen. Lara closed the door behind her. The woman clearly didn't like them and Lara knew she had to gain her trust.

"It seems to us that you have a more un-biased view of your son-in-law. What was your first impression of Thomas?"

Carol seemed to approve of this course of action. "Rose always told me he was different when I wasn't around, but he was cold. He judged everyone who was lower than him on the totem pole."

Lara winced in her head but nodded. She hoped that she might gain some useful information and not just hear about how undeserving Thomas Colroy was of Carol's daughter.

They do say 'mother knows best' but Lara didn't have much personal experience with that, so she was willing to give it the benefit of doubt.

"Even after work he would stay out a while. Rose would never admit it, though when he was alive she was not happy with him."

This caught Lara's attention. "He would stay out?"

"Oh, yes. Have a drink or two. I don't think he ever cheated though. Like he would find someone who would with him," Carol said spitefully and her face hardened.

"He always judged people by their cars. But he did seem charming at first." Carol placed an unasked for cup of tea in front of Lara. She was pleasantly surprised at her kindness. She pretended to sip at it, not wanting to offend her with the fact that she didn't drink tea.

"He was in business with a lot of his university pals. But it was clear they all hated him. He loved money." A light knock on the door interrupted her. Emily's head appeared around the door.

"Thank you for your co-operation Miss," Lara said to Carol. She nodded at her politely. The two agents then proceeded out of the house and towards the black SUV that was outside.

"Get anything useful?" Emily asked her. Lara shrugged.

"A pretty standard mother-in-law's impression of her daughter's husband. Said he was judgemental, appeared charming at first, was friendly with old university buddies but that they really disliked him."

Emily looked at her sympathetically. "Sorry about that. The wife insisted she didn't want to be disrespectful of the dead, but her statement was pretty much the same. She also mentioned university friends and a big deal that was coming up with Magnus Industries."

Lara waved her apology away. "Don't worry about it. It can't be all about private jets and the like, right?"

Emily grinned at her, which she was thankful for, then pulled out her cell phone. She waited a few seconds then said, "Tell Hotch we're on our way."

::::::::::

"So, how was it?" Emily asked as she approached Morgan, Rossi and Hotchner. Rossi shrugged.

"He was nervous but then again at one point I thought Morgan was going to make him cry." Morgan frowned, his dark eyebrows drawing together.

"I wasn't that bad. Besides, it seems like our boy visited _Luigi's _but we haven't got any security footage."

"Both the mother-in-law and the wife mentioned university friends. The wife, Rose, said something about a deal with Magnus Industries," Emily stated, walking over to examine the photos of Thomas Colroy's body closer. Morgan took out his phone and dialled a number.

Hotchner's eyes flickered towards the photographs as well. "We've established that he was held captive for around a day. His hands were definitely bound, but there were no signs of sexual assault."

The door of the room opened and JJ and Reid filed in. "I set up that hotline like you asked Hotch and we had a look around_ Luigi's _but nothing seemed out of place. The only place we didn't have a look around was the food storage."

Reid nodded, agreeing with what JJ said. "We could have passed on any number of diseases like-"

"Really don't need to hear about diseases now, kid," Morgan told him, his attention still mostly on his phone. Reid considered it, then shrugged.

"_Luigi's_ is nothing out of the ordinary, do you guys find anything?"

It seemed Morgan's call was answered because he said into the phone, "One second Baby Girl. I'm putting you on loudspeaker."

"No problem, what do y'all need?" Penelope Garcia's voice sounded out through the room.

"We need you to look at the higher up staff in Magnus Industries, the top dogs," Morgan told her. Garcia whistled at the end of the phone. "Big list guys."

"Look for the more official people, those that would manage a deal with another company and any connection they have to Thomas Colroy," Hotchner said, thinking out loud.

Garcia hummed on the other end of the line. "Here we go! I have got a one Mister Brendan Cusack who was negotiating a deal with Thomas' company. He's big in Magnus Industries. They went to university and collage together. And … oh," Garcia trailed off.

"What is it?" Rossi asked curiously.

"Well," Garcia continued. "It seems like Magnus Industries had deals with all of the victims. They were pretty important too. The business is losing serious money too. And …"

"Just like I thought. One guy managed them all. Our friend Brendan."

Reid thanked Garcia and she hung up. "So," he continued. "What now?"

"We bring him in for questioning," Hotchner replied, thinking deeply. "This doesn't add up."

Rossi nodded slowly in agreement. "You're right. Why would he destroy deals that were benefiting his company?"

"Maybe he was on the verge of being fired, and wanted to do as much damage as he could before he left?" Lara mused.

"Possible," JJ contemplated.

Emily turned away from the photos. "But why keep them for a day and torture them?"

"Maybe he is sadistically inclined? He's important in his business. He has power, he can fire someone and destroy their lives easily," Reid declared, his head tilted to the side.

"I don't think that's it. I mean, look at the marks on his wrist. We've established that he has a menial job, but I think he's bringing these men to his workplace," Emily continued, a thoughtful look on her face.

Morgan looked repulsed. "Like a 'Bring Your Hostage To Work Day'?"

"That would mean he'd have to either have a pretty big workplace, or one where he has a safe proof private area," Rossi said, leaning his head into his hand.

Hotchner shook his head. "Good, but we don't make any assumption until after we've questioned him. Morgan and Prentiss, with me. We'll question Cusack at his office. If he is guilty, then the pressure of everyone seeing what's going on might make him confess. But we need to look into Cusack's files and see if he's messed up things with his company, enough to make them want to fire him. We'll fax them over."

They left quickly and so the remaining team sat and waited for the onslaught of paperwork.

"There's something we're missing," Rossi muttered. Lara was certain the rest of the team, her included, had that feeling too.

_**I don't own Criminal Minds. Ah, the depressing moment when you realise that only twenty six people viewed your story and you received no alerts, favourites or reviews. Alas, that is the reality of this story. So if there is anybody out there who actually wants to read this story, please let me know. It would mean a lot **_

_**:(**_


	2. Chapter 2

"The fourth in five weeks? That's not a long time," Morgan said thoughtfully.

"San Francisco's a big place, sweetheart. And it could be more. The San Fran PD narrowed it down to those reported missing under the alike conditions," Garcia pressed a button again and the passport photographs of three more men appeared.

Everyone including Lara had already realised why they thought this was a serial killer as they looked at the pictures. They all uncannily resembled each other.

"All brunette, middle-aged, well- built and well off men with families," Garcia stated.

Dr. Reid tilted his head slightly to the side. "But that's one of the most common descriptions of men with money. As horrible as this sounds, all of them could've been kidnapped by different people for cash, and Thomas Colroy refused."

Garcia nodded. "Possible, whiz kid, but all of them live within a ten square mile radius. Also, none of them are known for being gentle giants when it comes to their businesses. Thomas Colroy had thirteen stab wounds and a number of bruises but cause of death was a bullet. Just missed his heart but punctured his lung." She winced in disgust.

Lara could see the clogs turning in all of their heads and realised they never did a half job. When they worked a case, they put in their all.

"Wheels up in thirty," Hotchner said. Lara stood up along with everybody. She had luckily brought her ready-to-go bag with her today instead of tomorrow. "I hope you don't suffer from jet-lag Morales, because this is going to be a long flight."

::::::::::

JJ set up a laptop on a table in the expensive jet. Lara was, for a lack of a better description, a little more than pleasantly surprised by the interior and exterior. It was quite impressive. Penelope Garcia, in all her colourful glory, appeared on the screen.

"Talk to us Baby Girl," Morgan said, leaning on his arm. Lara hid a smile and wondered, not for the first time, if something was going on between them.

"Read my lips Sweet Cheeks. The one big link we can see between the men is that they each set up their own businesses. Not exactly Microsoft, but apparently they acted like it was," she informed them.

"So it could be a recently fired employee, a rival or someone who's jealous," Lara surmised. She really wanted to be of use, and wanted to input anyway she could.

"What are the estimated abduction times?" JJ asked. Garcia squinted her eyes like she was trying to remember.

"All around eight to eleven pm."

"That's not that uncommon. How long after he was reported missing was he killed?" Rossi questioned, leaning back in his chair. Lara still wasn't sure if he was okay with her being there. But that was probably just nerves and an overactive imagination talking.

"Coroners think it was most likely a day. He was reported missing a week ago, but the wife had to wait forty eight hours before filing the report, so it was eight days until they found him. The body was found in a dump site," Garcia replied.

"But why keep them for a day?" Rossi continued, trailing off. Morgan shook his head, guessing.

"Maybe it's just to show that he's in charge? Tortures him for revenge for being fired?"

But all in all the six hour long coast-to-coast flight hadn't been too draining. Lara had spent the rest of it considering the uses of a private jet. She knew they had one but … Well, suffice to say, it was comfortably furnished.

They arrived at the police department. Immediately a black haired women and a greying man approached them.

"I'm Detective Jessica Stevens and this is Detective Daniel Lane," the woman said, indicating the man. Hotchner shook hands with them both as he introduced the profilers to them.

Detective Lane cleared his throat as the team made it's way in between cubicles to a collage of photographs of the men on a board. "When we found Thomas Colroy's body he had all his stuff. Homeless people visit that area looking for anything of use but despite his polished appearance, nothing seemed to be missing."

"What's this?" Reid asked, pulling a photo off the board. Lara strained her eyes to see it. It looked like grease proof paper except with logos dotted around it.

Stevens pulled another photo off the board, but kept it turned around, her eyes scanning the room. "I was about to get on to that. It's used to wrap up things like burgers and fries in a local pizza take away place called _Luigi's_. It was found in Colroy's breast pocket."

"We have the owner of the place here. He came in himself," Lane interjected.

Hotchner nodded and snapped straight into work mode. "Dave and Morgan, you two ask him a few things. Detectives Stevens and Lane and I will gauge his responses. I want JJ and Reid out to _Luigi's_ asap."

"My guys can show you where it is. But there's another thing," Stevens said and glanced around nervously. "We think he was tortured. This was on the back of the grease-proof paper."

Grimacing, she turned the picture around. On the back of the paper, scrawled in messy, bold letters, was the word, 'HELP'. Lara, JJ and Reid winced.

Hotchner's face remained stoic as he said, "Prentiss and Morales, go and talk to Thomas's family. Ask about work and friends. We'll take anything we can get."

::::::::::

Lara followed Emily up the steps to the house. It was big, that was for sure. A sleek black car sat in the drive. Lara gave a low whistle when they passed it.

"That wasn't cheap," Emily muttered, admiring the car from the corner of her eye. She knocked lightly on the door. A woman with iron grey hair opened it. Both Lara and Emily showed their credentials.

"We're with the FBI. If you don't mind, could we come in?" the woman nodded at Emily and plodded into the house. She and Lara shared a look. The woman definitely wasn't Thomas Colroy's wife. They both stepped inside.

Another woman, around forty years old, was sitting on a burgundy sofa. Her eyes were red and puffy and the older woman had a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm Carol. This is my daughter, Rose."

Lara smiled at Rose Colroy gently. "Mrs. Colroy, I'm Agent Lara Morales and this is Agent Emily Prentiss. We'd like to ask a few questions, if that's okay with you." Rose sniffled and nodded but her mother rolled her eyes.

"Of course it's okay. I let you in, didn't I?"

Lara and Emily quickly exchanged a glance. Lara really hoped the mother wouldn't make this more difficult than it had to be.

"How important was work to your husband? Did he bring it home with him?" Emily asked, keeping her eyes on Rose, who opened her mouth but Carol interrupted her before she even started.

"Bring it home with him? Work was the man's home. He certainly felt more comfortable there than here anyway."

Rose looked hurt and scandalised. "Mother!" Lara and Emily shared another look. Lara stood up and smiled at Carol.

"Miss, can I speak to you in private?" Carol narrowed her eyes at her but glanced at her daughter. Rose nodded, telling her it was okay.

"Of course," she said stiffly. They both walked into the kitchen. Lara closed the door behind her. The woman clearly didn't like them and Lara knew she had to gain her trust.

"It seems to us that you have a more un-biased view of your son-in-law. What was your first impression of Thomas?"

Carol seemed to approve of this course of action. "Rose always told me he was different when I wasn't around, but he was cold. He judged everyone who was lower than him on the totem pole."

Lara winced in her head but nodded. She hoped that she might gain some useful information and not just hear about how undeserving Thomas Colroy was of Carol's daughter.

They do say 'mother knows best' but Lara didn't have much personal experience with that, so she was willing to give it the benefit of doubt.

"Even after work he would stay out a while. Rose would never admit it, though when he was alive she was not happy with him."

This caught Lara's attention. "He would stay out?"

"Oh, yes. Have a drink or two. I don't think he ever cheated though. Like he would find someone who would with him," Carol said spitefully and her face hardened.

"He always judged people by their cars. But he did seem charming at first." Carol placed an unasked for cup of tea in front of Lara. She was pleasantly surprised at her kindness. She pretended to sip at it, not wanting to offend her with the fact that she didn't drink tea.

"He was in business with a lot of his university pals. But it was clear they all hated him. He loved money." A light knock on the door interrupted her. Emily's head appeared around the door.

"Thank you for your co-operation Miss," Lara said to Carol. She nodded at her politely. The two agents then proceeded out of the house and towards the black SUV that was outside.

"Get anything useful?" Emily asked her. Lara shrugged.

"A pretty standard mother-in-law's impression of her daughter's husband. Said he was judgemental, appeared charming at first, was friendly with old university buddies but that they really disliked him."

Emily looked at her sympathetically. "Sorry about that. The wife insisted she didn't want to be disrespectful of the dead, but her statement was pretty much the same. She also mentioned university friends and a big deal that was coming up with Magnus Industries."

Lara waved her apology away. "Don't worry about it. It can't be all about private jets and the like, right?"

Emily grinned at her, which she was thankful for, then pulled out her cell phone. She waited a few seconds then said, "Tell Hotch we're on our way."

::::::::::

"So, how was it?" Emily asked as she approached Morgan, Rossi and Hotchner. Rossi shrugged.

"He was nervous but then again at one point I thought Morgan was going to make him cry." Morgan frowned, his dark eyebrows drawing together.

"I wasn't that bad. Besides, it seems like our boy visited _Luigi's _but we haven't got any security footage."

"Both the mother-in-law and the wife mentioned university friends. The wife, Rose, said something about a deal with Magnus Industries," Emily stated, walking over to examine the photos of Thomas Colroy's body closer. Morgan took out his phone and dialled a number.

Hotchner's eyes flickered towards the photographs as well. "We've established that he was held captive for around a day. His hands were definitely bound, but there were no signs of sexual assault."

The door of the room opened and JJ and Reid filed in. "I set up that hotline like you asked Hotch and we had a look around_ Luigi's _but nothing seemed out of place. The only place we didn't have a look around was the food storage."

Reid nodded, agreeing with what JJ said. "We could have passed on any number of diseases like-"

"Really don't need to hear about diseases now, kid," Morgan told him, his attention still mostly on his phone. Reid considered it, then shrugged.

"_Luigi's_ is nothing out of the ordinary, do you guys find anything?"

It seemed Morgan's call was answered because he said into the phone, "One second Baby Girl. I'm putting you on loudspeaker."

"No problem, what do y'all need?" Penelope Garcia's voice sounded out through the room.

"We need you to look at the higher up staff in Magnus Industries, the top dogs," Morgan told her. Garcia whistled at the end of the phone. "Big list guys."

"Look for the more official people, those that would manage a deal with another company and any connection they have to Thomas Colroy," Hotchner said, thinking out loud.

Garcia hummed on the other end of the line. "Here we go! I have got a one Mister Brendan Cusack who was negotiating a deal with Thomas' company. He's big in Magnus Industries. They went to university and collage together. And … oh," Garcia trailed off.

"What is it?" Rossi asked curiously.

"Well," Garcia continued. "It seems like Magnus Industries had deals with all of the victims. They were pretty important too. The business is losing serious money too. And …"

"Just like I thought. One guy managed them all. Our friend Brendan."

Reid thanked Garcia and she hung up. "So," he continued. "What now?"

"We bring him in for questioning," Hotchner replied, thinking deeply. "This doesn't add up."

Rossi nodded slowly in agreement. "You're right. Why would he destroy deals that were benefiting his company?"

"Maybe he was on the verge of being fired, and wanted to do as much damage as he could before he left?" Lara mused.

"Possible," JJ contemplated.

Emily turned away from the photos. "But why keep them for a day and torture them?"

"Maybe he is sadistically inclined? He's important in his business. He has power, he can fire someone and destroy their lives easily," Reid declared, his head tilted to the side.

"I don't think that's it. I mean, look at the marks on his wrist. We've established that he has a menial job, but I think he's bringing these men to his workplace," Emily continued, a thoughtful look on her face.

Morgan looked repulsed. "Like a 'Bring Your Hostage To Work Day'?"

"That would mean he'd have to either have a pretty big workplace, or one where he has a safe proof private area," Rossi said, leaning his head into his hand.

Hotchner shook his head. "Good, but we don't make any assumption until after we've questioned him. Morgan and Prentiss, with me. We'll question Cusack at his office. If he is guilty, then the pressure of everyone seeing what's going on might make him confess. But we need to look into Cusack's files and see if he's messed up things with his company, enough to make them want to fire him. We'll fax them over."

They left quickly and so the remaining team sat and waited for the onslaught of paperwork.

"There's something we're missing," Rossi muttered. Lara was certain the rest of the team, her included, had that feeling too.

_**I don't own Criminal Minds. Ah, the depressing moment when you realise that only twenty six people viewed your story and you received no alerts, favourites or reviews. Alas, that is the reality of this story. So if there is anybody out there who actually wants to read this story, please let me know. It would mean a lot **_

_**:(**_


	3. Chapter 3

Emily walked into the office where the case was being worked. She did not look amused. Lara decided she never wanted to get on her bad side. Hotchner and Morgan followed her.

Hotchner looked at the expectant faces of the team and filled them in. "We checked Cusack out. He's clean. No one was planning to fire him."

"Which is strange enough, seeing as how he has a severe attitude problem," Emily noted.

JJ sighed. "Has done well in all his recent dealings too."

"But the creepy thing is, he looks a lot like the other victims," Morgan said thoughtfully, folding his arms.

Reid put down his coffee (Lara was unsure about what number he was on now) and objected, "Still, that image is pretty standard. The most common physical attributes all rolled into to one."

"We can guess that the unsub is a white male though, right?" Lara surmised.

"And he's targeting people who remind him of someone," JJ said. "Maybe it's what we thought about Cusack except with someone else."

Rossi nodded. "I think we're ready to give the profile."

::::::::::

The BAU team and several police officers, including Detectives Stevens and Lane, gathered in the main room of the police department.

JJ began, "We're certain the unsub is a white male, probably middle aged, just like his victims."

"The absence of the other bodies suggests that he wanted to remain anonymous, but now they have been found, he may have inserted himself into the investigation," Lara said. There was a beep and Morgan's hand flew to the cell phone at his waist. He checked the number then flicked it off.

After shooting him a look, Hotchner continued. "He has a menial job, but is probably unreasonably proud of it. We can deduce this from the body we do have, that of Thomas Colroy. We think he showed the victims a day at his work."

Reid leaned back on the balls of his feet and said, "So the unsub probably works in a popular social area, or visits there often. Either way, somebody's seen him."

Emily twisted her hands in her lap. "As of yet, this is the longest he's gone without kidnapping another victim. So be on your guard. It might make him act rashly."

"Tell the press what we know about him. He didn't want attention at first, but he's tasted it and he likes it. Now it's time for him to feel the consequences of being publicised. It might help would-be victims to be more aware," Rossi announced.

"Thank you," Hotchner said to the officers, who shuffled to their desks. Morgan's phone beeped again, but this time he answered it.

"Hello?"

His expression became increasingly worried as the phone call went on. The rest of the team stood and waited for him to tell them. Lara, unsure of her place, stood a little back from them.

Morgan looked at his team, his jaw set. "That was Cusack's assistant. I gave her my number in case she saw anything strange." Reid rolled his eyes.

"We have a problem. Cusack went out for a smoke twenty minutes ago. At first she thought he could have been talking to someone, but the doorman says he didn't come back."

"That's it, it has to be. All of the men were around Cusack, looked like him, and had their own business. But Cusack was the most successful," Rossi pointed out.

Hotchner nodded. "So Cusack must have been the original target all along."

"He was just practicing with the others," Morgan said in disgust.

"JJ you get an artist's impression of him to the media. Morales and Reid, Prentiss and Morgan and Dave, get out there and scan the social scenes. The kidnapper wouldn't have been able to take him down in public, so that means Cusack trusts him or doesn't see him as a threat. It's possible they're still out there."

::::::::::

Lara was very aware of the gun on her hip, hidden under her blouse. She hoped she blended in with the crowd. Out of the corner of her eye, she looked at Reid, who was beside her. He was wearing a shirt, tie and sweater vest. Lara just hoped no one would pick him out of the crowd.

Five minutes ago, she had asked were was a very popular place to be on a Thursday night. The response she received from the man, who looked quite tipsy, was The Plaza. They were here now.

She slumped as she walked, but her eyes stayed alert.

"You got anything?" she asked Reid.

He pursed his lips. "Nothing. Let's have a look over there." He tilted his head towards a crowd that were gathering beside the pavement.

As they got closer, they realised the group was coming out of the pizzeria there. Lara looked up at the sign._ Luigi's_.

Lara gave Reid a questioning look. "It seems popular. Maybe we should have a look?"

He seemed unsure. "I don't know."

"We're only going to have a look at the customers."

Lara and Reid strolled into the take away shop, trying their best to look carefree. Lara decided they didn't blend in as well as she hoped. These people were all dressed for a night out, and they were dressed for work. She fished some money from her pocket and bought a single of fries.

She flinched when she got it. She forgot about the grease-proof paper that would surely remind her of Thomas Colroy's note. She began to nibble on the fries in distaste.

She picked up a salt shaker and dusted the fries with it. Only then did Lara notice the disbelieving look Reid was giving her.

"Who puts that much salt on fries?" he asked.

"Um, lots of people," Lara said. She had been told before that she used too much salt, but, hey, it was her cholesterol.

"Well, let's hope our unsub did. That way we can just wait for him to drop dead of a soaring blood pressure," he shot a smile smile at Lara as he said this. They walked back out into the plaza.

"Says the coffee addict," Lara said lightly. He gave her a grudging, "Touche," but grinned.

Lara nibbled on the fries for the next ten minutes as they scanned the crowd. Suddenly, Reid's phone buzzed.

Reid put the phone on a low loudspeaker. "Reid and Morales here."

"Hotch," the stern man himself said through the phone. "Stay right where you are. We just got a call on the hotline. It was our unsub."

"What did he say?" Lara couldn't help but ask.

"'Stay away from me or I'll kill him right now'," Hotchner said, sounding like he was reading it out. "So an agent must be close to him. I've got Garcia looking Cusack up in more detail as we speak. Stay where you are." With that he hung up.

Lara's muscles were tense. Thanks to Hotchner's call, she couldn't shake the feeling they were being watched. They sat on a bench and watched people mill around.

"Do you think the unsub would change location?" she asked Reid. He may have been a year or two younger than her, but he had been working as a profiler longer than her.

He shook his head, eyes focused on the crowd. "No. He's too panicked. That's what that phone call was about. He's desperate, not thinking straight."

The remainder of Lara's fries tasted even more like cardboard to her now. She tossed them into the trash can beside the bench, but something caught her eye.

"Reid," she said, jumping up. His hand flew straight to his waist and his gun.

"Put your hand down," she hissed, looking around hoping no one saw what she was about to do. She stuck her hand in the trash can, and hooked her finger around the wrapping of her fries.

Lara raised it out of the trash can and flipped it around. There on the navy and white background was a stamp. All it said was, 'Consume within three hours of purchase' in a simple font. It was smudged like the person who stamped it had an unsteady hand.

"Please tell me you have a copy of Thomas Colroy's help note in your bag," was all she could manage. His eyes widened and he pulled out the photo.

"No stamp," he murmured. As quick as a flash, he pulled out his phone and dialled Hotchner.

"Hotch, we know who it is. Cole Menele, the owner of_ Luigi's_." For a brief moment, Lara wondered how he knew who owned the place, but the thought was soon replaced by more important ones.

"That's what we just thought of. Garcia's checked and it looks like Menele and Cusack went to university together," Hotchner said.

"Together?" Lara asked, because she honestly couldn't piece it together. The business giant and the owner of a pizza place?

"Yes, and he fits the profile. We're on our way." Hotchner hung up.

Not long after the SUV's and police cars pulled up. Hotchner stepped out of one and approached Reid and Lara.

"We went inside earlier and didn't see him," Lara informed him. He shot the place a dark look.

"He must have been keeping them in the food freezer room," he guessed. Lara almost gagged. She had eaten some of those fries.

Reid looked at her sympathetically. "He probably didn't kill them there though." Hotchner agreed. It was no comfort to her.

Detective Stevens walked over, a bullet-proof vest on her torso. "I'm considering calling in SWAT. This is serious."

"I know Detective, but that will just put him under pressure. He might start shooting," Emily said, Morgan at her side. He nodded in agreement.

"Heck, maybe these cars will set him off."

Reid, who had been deep in thought, looked up. It seemed like he only just realised they were there. "I'll go in. He won't see me as a threat, but if any of you went in, he might." Hotchner narrowed his eyes, thinking.

"Go but be careful." Reid smiled nervously and licked his lips. "Of course." He shrugged on his vest.

"Morgan," Hotchner continued, "You take his back, just in case."

"Dave, Morales and I will go 'round back. Emily, you watch the front," the team nodded.

Rossi, Hotchner and Lara began to loop around. "I heard you have a good shot Morales," Rossi stated.

The corners of her lips twitched. "Tell whoever told you thanks from me. I'd like to think my aim is good."

"I'd like to hope it is," Hotchner said over his shoulder. They entered the building. It wasn't long before they followed the voices and found Menele and Reid. Menele was supporting Cusack's limp body and held a handgun to his head.

"Don't do this Cole," Reid pleaded. "You've got this amazing place to look after."

"No!" Menele shouted. "It's – it's all his fault!" He jabbed the gun towards Cusack.

"There's only one way this can end," Reid sustained his peaceful front.

"No! Since university, anytime I saw him he made fun of me! 'Can I have a burger Cole? Can I have fries with that Cole?' But it's not like that!" His gun hand shook and dread filled Lara's stomach, but he steadied it.

"I know, I know, believe me," Reid held out his hands, wanting him to see reason. "But those other men had nothing to do with him."

"They are him! They'll turn out just like him!"

"He's not going to give Cusack up," Hotchner whispered. Lara knew it to be true. The three of them inched forward and hid behind a food shelf.

"My business is as good as his!"

Reid looked at them and locked his eyes with Lara. He knew it too. He slowly moved to the left, out of her line of fire. There was no way she could get a centre shot on him without riskinh getting Cusack too.

"He's deserves what he's gonna get! But you, you're just as bad as the rest of them!" Menele raised his gun hand and Lara acted quickly.

She shot at his hand, the bullet grazing it. Menele dropped the gun and howled, clutching at his wrist. Hotchner hurried over, as did Rossi and Lara. Reid checked Cusack's pulse.

"He's good," he muttered. Hotchner pulled Menele up off the ground.

"Cole Menele, you are charged with the kidnapping and murders of Harold Grimes, Charles Keller, Martin Perri and Thomas Colroy and the kidnapping and attempted murder of Brendan Cusack."

:::::::::::

Menele told them where the other bodies were. All in dumpsites, but at least now their families could bury them. Lara had seen Rose and Carol one last time before they left.

They had thanked her and she had insisted there was no need. It was her job.

She dropped her bag on the seat beside her in the jet. She dug through it, searching for headphones. After pulling them out, she looked up to find Hotchner watching her.

"That was a good shot," he said evenly. Receiving praise from her stoic new boss made her smile.

"Thank you sir."

He looked at her, considering. "Call me Hotch."

Lara's grin widened, "Thanks Hotch." He nodded and continued down the jet.

Settling into the seat as they took off, Lara decided that, despite everything, she liked this job.

_Albert Camus said, "A man's work is nothing but this slow trek to rediscover, through the detours of art, those two or three great and simple images in whose presence his heart first opened."_


	4. Chapter 4

"_If you have ever lost a loved one, then you know exactly how it feels. And if you have not, then you cannot possibly imagine it." Lemony Snicket._

"Even I have to praise you for this," Emily began. "You can shop."

The four female FBI agents sat down at a high table in Starbucks, setting their shopping bags at their feet. Each of them placed their coffees on the table.

"It's been a while since I went shopping," Lara admitted sheepishly.

"I could tell," Penelope said dramatically. "You must have been away from the trends for a while if you thought those shoes were nice," she teased playfully.

"Give me a break, I thought they were original," Lara muttered, taking a sip of coffee.

"They weren't that bad P.G.," JJ reasoned. "I thought you liked unique."

"Oh sweetie I do, but those," Penelope shivered, and Lara was holding in a laugh at Penelope's mock horror. She thought it was particularly kind of Emily, JJ and Penelope to go shopping with her. She had gotten to know the agents and they had been joking and shopping for the past two hours.

"At any rate, I hope I won't be the odd one out in the team, the one who is known for her strange shoes," Lara said jokingly.

Emily raised her eyebrows. "What do you mean the odd one out? You'll be part of the team in no time. Hotch is even giving you tasks with everyone so he can see who's partner you'd be best suited to be."

"Thanks Em," Lara acknowledged. "But I was saying that I hope I don't end up the odd one out, because," Lara struggled to find the right words and settled for, "You know, how the team is."

JJ sat up straighter. "What? Was someone not co-operating with you?" Lara was touched by her concern and quickly corrected herself so she wouldn't worry them.

"No, not at all." JJ looked relieved as Lara continued. "What I mean is that the team is everything the FBI Academy tells you not to expect."

They all looked confused.

"Don't tell me you don't see it!" Lara said, disbelieving. They shook their heads. "Well first there's the fatherly leader, the good natured older one," Lara was counting them off on her fingers, "The three beautiful female agents," at this the agents blushed, "the adorable genius –"

"Hold up!" Penelope interrupted, pointing her finger at Lara. "Did you say you think our favourite, socially awkward genius is adorable?" Lara thanked God for her darker skin, her blush not showing.

"Don't take that out of context!" she warned them, though they were grinning. "It was just an observation, just as it is that Morgan is the creator of the badass agent."

"An observation?" Emily said, grinning like there was no tomorrow.

"Yes," Lara answered emphatically.

JJ cleared her throat. "Just like the observation that he's single."

The three women laughed and even Lara grinned. Penelope waved her hand, "Nah, we're only messing with you sweetie. Though …"

Lara shook her head, smiling as the three women laughed again.

Emily smiled and took a sip of coffee. "I'm glad you're friendly. When we heard we were getting a new member, we were worried we'd end up with some depressing, serious professional."

"Dealing with murderers is depressing enough I think," Lara admitted. Lara hadn't grown up in such a nice neighbourhood, but her abuela always did her best to keep her away from the violence. It probably influenced her decision to enter law enforcement. Penelope raised her coffee cup in a mock toast.

"I second that." The other agents knocked their foam cups together, taking a gulp.

"You were right though JJ. It's much easier to talk to each other over shoes," Lara said jokingly.

"Just not strange ones that our new friend thinks are 'original'," Penelope winked at her and Lara laughed.

"Never going to live this one down, am I?"

Penelope shook her head, "Nope."

::::::::::

Lara put down the phone and sighed, smiling. "That was _mi abuela_. She still can't believe that my first case with you guys was in San Francisco for three days. She was disappointed that she didn't get a postcard."

Morgan grinned at her over the wall of her cubicle. "But unfortunately we had to look for a serial killer, so we missed the sights."

"On the contrary, when we were twenty one minutes and forty four seconds into the flight, the Golden Gate Bridge became clearly visible and was at the perfect distance to take a surely impeccable photograph," Reid said, leaning back in his chair with his legs crossed. A crease appeared in Lara's forehead.

"Twenty one minutes and forty four seconds?" she asked, slightly disbelieving. It had been two weeks ago. He had to be making that up. There was no way . . .

He smiled. "Precisely."

"But how - ?"

Emily, who was walking past with numerous files and heading towards her own desk, patted Lara on the shoulder. "That's Doctor Reid for you."

Lara was surprised. They took this completely seriously, so Lara had no other choice but to believe he was telling the truth. She looked at Reid admiringly, "That's pretty impressive." Emily and Morgan groaned.

Reid on the other hand, looked absolutely delighted, his brown eyes widening in excitement. "You like facts? I'm more of a statistics person, but did you know that only eleven workers died during the construction on the Bridge, which was exceptionally low for the period in which it was built, the 1930's? In the 30's, builders of bridges expected at least one fatality per one million dollars in construction costs. They anticipated around thirty five people would die. The original chief engineer, Joseph B. Strauss, born January 9th 1870, was notorious for his safety innovations such as hard hats and daily sobriety tests, though he died the year after the bridge was completed."

He spoke even faster than she did when she was nervous. Lara thought she caught most of it, but couldn't be sure. "Wow," she said, slightly overwhelmed. Reid looked quite pleased and Lara noticed he looked younger when he was spouting facts and figures. Morgan snickered.

"Come on man, don't scare the new girl with freaky statistics. At least wait until she's facing off with a psychopath holding a gun 'til you tell her her chances of survival."

"What? I don't scare people with statistics, right Emily, Rossi?" Reid asked indignantly. Lara tried to keep a smile to herself. They were like a bickering family.

Rossi surveyed the situation from his cubicle, opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again. "No comment." Reid, dismayed and Morgan, triumphant turned their attention to Emily.

Emily glanced up from her files with a look of hesitation. "No. And you were nice to me when I first came here." Reid grinned in victory. "Though," she paused, "Being told how likely it is that you're going to die is kinda unnerving." Morgan grinned back.

Lara chuckled and stretched her arms. "Anyone want coffee?"

JJ walked into the bullpen area at that moment. "I'd love some."

Reid smiled. "Yes please."

Morgan raised his hand. "Me too."

Looking up from a file, Rossi smiled. "Sure."

Emily stood up. "I'll help you. The biggest sign of spending too much time together is that we know Reid complicated coffee necessities." Lara was glad that she at least didn't have to try memorize all of their caffeine preferences.

Lara and Emily talked over the coffee. Emily made fun of Reid's coffee routine. It was pretty strange. Half a teaspoon of sugar, a drop of milk, stir then more milk and another teaspoon of sugar.

"And you actually make it like that for him?" she couldn't help but wonder.

Emily shrugged. "Nah, just when we feel nice." Lara grinned, then a thought hit her suddenly, a worrying one.

"Oh, please tell me I'm not the only single member of the team," she asked, not adding in the information she learnt about Reid on the shopping trip. Her_ abuela_ was already on her case about not having settled down an having dozens of kids, and being in an office full of happily married people only increased the feeling that she was going to end up a lonely old spinster with seven cats.

Emily raised her eyebrows, then laughed. "Oh no! We're all single, though you never know with Morgan. Rossi has three ex-wives. Penelope is seeing a guy called Kevin, and it's only JJ that's married."

A metaphorical light bulb lit up over Lara's head as she remembered. "Um, Will, isn't it? And her son Harry – no - Henry." She was pretty sure it was the latter.

Emily smiled, but then her face grew grave. "Hotch has a son, Jack." Lara caught on quickly and nodded. She had felt sorry for her Section Chief when she realised his ex-wife had been murdered by a serial killer and the Bureau had decided to write it in his file.

Lara and Emily gathered the cups in their hands and made their way to the bullpen. Emily brightened,

"Though, I do have a dashing cat called Sergio at home. He is all the man I need."

Lara laughed and handed the last cup to Rossi, who sipped it and sighed happily. Lara sat at her own desk and was just about to continue her case files when Garcia trotted into the room.

"Hello my dashing agents, we have a case."

Lara looked at her coffee longingly and contemplated the pros and cons of gulping it down. Taking a mouthful, she rose and headed to the briefing room. She settled into a chair and resisted the urge to spin it around, not wanting her new colleagues to think ill of her.

"And here comes the bossman," Garcia sang quietly as Hotch entered the room.

"Go ahead Garcia," Lara's Section Chief ordered, his face emotionless.

"Okie dokie," Garcia began. Lara couldn't help but grin at that. She had never met someone like Garcia. She was so cheery, and it was like a breath of fresh air considering the job they had to do.

"Just letting y'all know, this is a weird one," Garcia muttered, standing and pressing buttons on her universal remote.

A photograph of a smiling redhead woman appeared on the screen that was hoisted onto the wall. "This is Evie Larsen. Abducted six weeks and a day ago from her house in Denver."

A photograph of a woman with sort, strawberry blonde curls and blue eyes was visible beside the picture of Evie Larsen.

"Her name is Lorna Dellmare. Went missing three weeks and a day ago and in similar circumstances to Evie. Not rare though, the usual – at home alone, husband and kids gone out, signs of a small struggle. Nothing too out of the ordinary for abduction."

"So why were we called?" Morgan asked, crossing his legs and furrowing his brows.

"That's the freaky thing," Garcia said mysteriously. "Hairs belonging to Evie were found in Lorna's house."

Emily caught on quickly. "So either Evie Larsen was there, or the unsub planted the hairs."

"Oh, but that's only the beginning in a whole creepy cycle" Garcia elaborated. "Yesterday, Siobhan Buckley disappeared from her home, and guess who's hairs were found there?"

JJ hazarded a guess. "Lorna Dellmare's?"

Garcia nodded, looking slightly repulsed. "Correct-a-mundo."

Rossi frowned. "Is there anything to connect the women?" Garcia shook her head, her face glum.

"If these kidnappings are random we are in some serious trouble," Morgan commented.

Rossi shook his head. "I don't think these are random. The women do have their similarities in looks."

Lara looked at the faces of the three women. She knew her statistics (though maybe not as well as Reid) from the Academy. Most kidnappings ended up with the victim's death, usually in the first twenty four hours. Looking at these happy photographs, Lara didn't want to think it, but she knew it was most likely they were dead.

"Do you think they are still alive?" Lara asked slowly, hating herself for it.

Hotch, his face showing deep concentration said, "We don't presume otherwise unless we have evidence." Lara nodded quickly, relieved at this team's way of thinking. She had been confronted by enough family members who had lost loved ones.

Hotch continued, "Send us more details on the jet Garcia. Wheels up in thirty."

::::::::::

"The unsub clearly want attention. That's what leaving the hairs was about," Morgan said, resting his head on his fist. Lara was struck by the fact that he was very good-looking. Still, she'd never think about making a move, even if they weren't colleagues. Her self-confidence wouldn't allow it, but Morgan seemed like a good guy and she hoped they would be friends.

"Seems like it. We can probably guess the unsub is a male," JJ surmised. Lara really admired her. JJ flipped open a laptop and set it on a table which was in between four cream leather seats which were occupied by Rossi, Emily, Hotch and Morgan.

Reid leaned on top of Emily and Rossi's seats. "Once we find out where he's getting his victims from, it'll narrow the possible suspect list enormously. After all, these are high risk victims. Evie's husband was working, Lorna's husband was at his son's football practice and Siobhan's roommate was at the library. So he must watch them."

"Three or four weeks isn't enough though," Lara voiced, then sat up straighter as the team look at her. "There was heavy rain the past few weeks, which probably means football practice times were fluctuating. And not many library visits are scheduled."

Emily looked thoughtful as she agreed. "So he must have a constant eye on them. Cameras?"

"Lara and Rossi can check out around Siobhan's house when we arrive. It's a suburb so he would probably need a small enough camera," Hotch announced. The laptop screen flickered and Penelope came into view.

"Hola, my friends."

Lara beamed. She hadn't wanted to say anything, but the name Garcia suggested Latina blood. Lara had grown up speaking Spanish at home and would love if she could converse with someone in the language. "¿Qué pasa?"

Garcia's blonde brows furrowed. "Sorry chica, but I studied French in high school."

Lara's mouth formed a small 'o'. She felt incredibly stupid. Penelope was so pale, she should have known. "I – I'm so sorry – I just thought – Garcia – and –".

"Don't be silly, I wish I learned Spanish now. French may be the language of love, but there is something undeniably sexy about Español," Penelope assured her.

"Aw, Baby Girl, you don't need Spanish for that," Morgan insisted, throwing in a wink.

"Oh, but my love, I could re-use all my old material," Garcia sighed. Lara smiled, hoping to redeem herself.

"I could help you out with that."

Penelope looked directly at her through the screen. "Interesting …"

Hotch cleared his throat while JJ, Emily and Rossi hid grins. "What was it you were about to tell us?"

"Ah," Garcia smiled and glanced at another screen. "Of course sir. Well, I've gone back as far as I can, and I have no clue as to how Evie Larsen, Lorna Dellmare and Siobhan Buckley have any connection, or if they do, it doesn't leave a paper trail. Both Evie's daughter and Lorna's son go to the same elementary school, first grade and third grade respectively, but Siobhan didn't have kids and was single."

"Hm," Emily mused, "I couldn't help but notice all three women are red heads. All late twenties, early thirties too."

"So he definitely has a type," Morgan declared. "Once we find his source we can shut him down."

"Also," Garcia began, "I've checked out Evie and Lorna's husbands, and Siobhan's roommate, they're all squeaky clean. As in, so clean I could see my glorious reflection."

"Did Evie or Lorna's child ever have the same teacher?" Hotch asked. Garcia tapped her keyboard lightly and quickly scanned the screen. "Nope."

Hotch nodded. "Thanks Garcia. Call us if you find anything."

"Will do sir," the tech analyst smiled and the screen flicked back to the American Seal with a blue background.

"Won't be long until we arrive team," Hotch stated. The members of the BAU settled into their seats, the images of the missing women fresh on their minds.

_**I do not own Criminal Minds. Wowza, long one this time. Well, longer than usual. In the next case or the one after there will be a time jump of about two months. Just so you know, you know? I also changed the name of this story from 'New Job, New Life' to 'A Family'. Very happy that CharmedPrincessRach and Noskilz graced this stoy with a favourite and an alert respectively. And another shout out to Rebecca1, Aihart and Nymartian for their support in Chapter2. And no, this is not me fishing for reviews *looks around sneakily*.**_

_**So if anyone bothered to read this, thank you and please review! **_


	5. Chapter 5

Lara was surprised by the brightness of the FBI office in Denver. The light beige walls and the cream tiles on the floor told her the person who decided on these colors was young, around thirty. But the beige walls suggested they thought they were being held back, that they could do better, whether in their job or in a relationship.

However, profiling was not an accurate science. Maybe the decorator just liked the colors.

A man in his forties, who looked like one of his parents were Indian, approached them as soon as they entered the office. He was incredibly tense.

"I'm Detective Inspector Ramphal. Please tell me you can help us."

Hotch held out his hand and shook with Ramphal. "I'm Supervisory Special Agent Aaron Hotchner and hopefully we can offer some insight on this case. These are SSAs Rossi, Prentiss, Morgan, Reid, Jareau and Morales." He indicated everybody respectively.

"Well, I'm glad the FBI's here," Ramphal continued, but the looks the team were receiving from his colleagues made Lara think differently.

Morgan picked up on this too. "Doesn't look like everybody else feels the same."

Ramphal's eyes widened slightly. He threw a glare at anyone still brave enough to look at the FBI agents. Lara was thankful. She'd never been on a case without the local law enforcement on her side, and she didn't want to be, they'd had her back.

Ramphal shook his head regretfully. "Sorry about that. Denver's a big place, so things happen sometimes. But the neighbourhood these women have been disappearing from is secure, family friendly. They're just on edge."

Hotch nodded, his eyes stern. "We understand, but we need everybody with us to do the very best we can." Ramphal sighed.

"I'll have a word with them. Come this way."

They entered an office, a whiteboard set up with the victims pictures tacked up. Hotch quickly surveyed it.

"We should go to their homes. You may have been on to something back on the jet, Morales. We need to determine if they were being watched," Rossi voiced his thoughts. It was in this moment Lara realised she needed to get more of a life, because it was unnatural how flattered she was at being complimented by David Rossi, famous FBI profiler.

But she hid it, maintaining a professional front as Hotch continued, "You may be right. JJ and Prentiss, check out the Dellmare' house. If we're lucky there still might be signs that our unsub observed Lorna, and Morgan and Morales, have a word with Siobhan Buckley's roommate. Reid -"

"I'll get to work on a geographical profile," Reid said, placing his leather shoulder bag on a chair as Hotch nodded. Lara was particularly glad she wasn't the only clueless one, as Ramphal asked what a geographical profile was.

"Oh," Reid began, his face lighting up at the chance of spouting information. "By triangulating the locations of the abduction sites, we should be able to find an area the unsub feels comfortable in. From there we can surmise that that area is where the unsub lives."

"Though for a geographical profile to work, the unsub has to be need driven," Morgan explained further.

Emily sighed. "And if our unsub is need driven, he's not finished abducting." The room was quiet as that statement sunk in.

::::::::::

"So Siobhan's roommate is Natasha Byron," Lara said as the stared at the house. "Both of them are currently single."

"So no suspicious boyfriends to look into," Morgan stated as he and Lara walked up the drive and knocked on the door. A short, fair haired woman opened the door.

"Agents Morgan and Morales, right? Thanks for calling ahead," the woman, who must be Natasha, said. On closer inspection, Lara could see the dried tear tracks running down her face. She felt a pang of pity for this woman. For all she knew her friend could be dead.

"Yes ma'am, that's us," Morgan confirmed. "Would you mind if we came in and had a look around and asked a few questions?"

Natasha Byron shook her head vigorously. "Of course not. Anything that would help you find Siobhan."

"I'll take the back," Morgan said quietly and headed to the back door. Natasha looked on in confusion.

"What's going on?"

"We believe that the person who took Siobhan must have been watching her for a while. You were at the library when she was kidnapped, correct?" Lara asked as gently as she could. Natasha Byron looked so fragile that she might cry at the mention of the night of her friend's kidnapping.

Lara's suspicions were proved right when Natasha's eyes started to water. "Yes, I – I just wanted some reading material, because- well I couldn't sleep and -," Natasha sniffled.

Lara guided her to the sofa in a living room and sat her down. "I understand this is hard Natasha, but it wasn't your fault. He was probably waiting for the perfecting opportunity." Lara paused, letting her recover. She hated having to question this woman, who clearly believed Siobhan was dead. "Can you cast your mind back to the past week? Did you ever see or feel anything wrong?"

"No, I –" Natasha stopped dead. "You said he was probably watching her?" Lara nodded, alert.

"On Tuesday, Siobhan was in the back garden – she loved her flowers, they were her babies – and she noticed some of the flowers were squashed. She thought it was me, but when I said it wasn't, she thought it must've just been a cat."

Lara smiled kindly. "That's great Natasha. Do you remember if Siobhan mentioned meeting someone new, or if she bumped into someone from her past? Did she receive any strange messages?"

Natasha gave her a watery smile. Lara struggled to be professional; she wanted to hug this woman. "No, she didn't say anything."

Morgan appeared in the doorway of the living room. "Morales, you gotta see this."

"Thank you," Lara said to Natasha and followed Morgan to the back garden. He led her to bushes and a large flower bed near the end.

"Look here, some of the flowers are trampled on," he pointed to them. "And," he continued, pulling the branches of a bush aside, "the grass is flattened all 'round here."

"Natasha Byron mentioned that Siobhan noticed the flowers, but that she didn't meet any suspicious people or receive any strange messages," Lara commented, examining the flowers.

Morgan nodded, eyebrows contracted in thought. "So that means the unsub didn't have the confidence to talk to her."

"So as long as none of the women have reacted violently to him," Lara began, seeing where he was going.

"They're almost definitely still alive," he finished. But he gave her a cautious glance.

Lara caught on. "You're not sure if I got it right?" As she said this, she made sure it was in the least aggressive way possible. Morgan understood this.

"Look, I don't mean it in a bad way, it's just that you're new and all-"

"Don't worry, I get it," Lara smiled tightly. She was only slightly hurt. She had anticipated this. After all, trust has to be earned.

But Morgan didn't stop there. "I know joining the team is daunting, and don't worry, that won't happen again. I was just being sensitive."

"_Es buen_. I know why I'm here anyway." Morgan's eyebrows scrunched together in confusion.

"Why would that be?"

Lara gave him a kind smile. "Emily's just after coming back, and it might take a while for you all to trust her again. Which is perfectly understandable –" she said as Morgan opened his mouth to protest, "So, if they throw in an unknown entity – that's me - you all gather together, because you are relying on your old trust of Emily while you scrutinise the newcomer."

He looked at her carefully as if evaluating her. Lara felt like she was at the Academy again. Morgan sighed.

"I thought I lost her. We all did. We were trying our best to accept it and move on, y'know? But it's not that easy. And now she's back … I just ruled it out. She was gone."

"I'm sorry for what you guys went through. But just so you know, I've got your back."

Morgan remained silent and Lara looked up at the darkening sky. "It's all politics Derek." She used his first name as her last shot, to show she meant no harm by her words. She just wanted to be accepted even if she was just in this team so Emily would be accepted too. Morgan understood.

"You're not bad kid. Honest at least," he said kindly. "So despite why you were put here, you should know I got your back too."

::::::::::

When Lara and Morgan arrived back at the police department, Reid had tacked up a map on the evidence board and had circled the abduction sites in red marker. Detective Ramphal was looking at it with curiosity. Reid saw them coming.

"Bad news on the geographical profile. It's still too large, there's too many people in the area."

JJ and Emily, who were sitting at the table in the centre of the room examining evidence, looked up as they entered.

"There were signs of stalking at the Dellmare residence," JJ said dejectedly.

"Same at the Siobhan Buckley's," Morgan answered. "But she was never contacted by our unsub, suggesting that he didn't have the confidence."

"So they're probably still alive," Emily surmised, looking back at the photographs of the women. Hotch looked frustrated.

"There has to be something that stands out to you. There's something not right."

A moment of silence was interrupted by Rossi, who must've quietly entered the room beforehand said, "The abductions were three weeks apart, right?"

Reid nodded, realisation dawning, showing on his face. "And we have evidence that he won't kill them."

"So why is he taking new victims?" Lara finished the thought.

JJ stood up and peered at Reid's map. "And more importantly, where is he keeping them? He would need space and privacy."

"Detective," Hotch began to ask, "Are there any such places in this area?" He indicated the circled off zone on the map.

Ramphal sighed. "Unfortunately, yes. The whole southern part used to be houses, but are now converted into warehouses and the like."

"I think we're ready to give the profile," Hotch declared, his face showing no emotion.

::::::::::

The seven behavioural analysts gathered in the main room of the office with the agents who were working on the case.

"Firstly, we would like to let you all know that we have a very good reason to believe these women are still alive," Hotch told the agents, who nodded sullenly.

"What's your reason?" one agent asked and received a glare from Ramphal.

Hotch answered the man anyway. "We believe that the unsub has extremely low self-esteem, especially regarding women, and so long as the missing women haven't reacted violently they're probably still alive." The agent back down and looked at his feet.

"We think the unsub is playing out some sort of fantasy and that the hairs of the other missing women play a vital role in this. Once the unsub has completed the fantasy he won't be that dangerous, but interrupt it and he will react angrily," Morgan warned them.

"His behaviour will have been strange of late. He's withdrawn, but also extremely jumpy. He knows what he's doing is wrong but he can't help himself. We can see this from the disorganization of the abduction sites," Emily said, pointing at photographs of the houses.

"One of our main concerns is to bring him out alive. We suspect the unsub is male, Caucasian and late twenties to early thirties. But he's not like other role playing abductors. This is his first offense. His life was probably happy and these kind of thoughts never entered his head," Rossi said.

"But something that we call a stressor set him off. He's been resisting but now he has to play out these fantasies. He's got not choice in the matter," JJ said to the room at large.

Out of the corner of her eye, Lara saw Reid freeze. She glanced at him curiously but he seemed deep in thought, a crease appearing in between his eyebrows. JJ seemed to have noticed too and Lara sent her a questioning look. She just shrugged.

"Using victimology, we can guess that our unsub has experienced a loss. Maybe that of a wife or girlfriend," Lara stated.

"So keep a look out and if we have any updates we'll let you know," Hotch said, also glancing at Reid who was bouncing on the balls of his feet impatiently. As the agents started to disperse, the team gathered together, waiting to hear what Reid had figured out.

"Well, we said the meaning of the hairs were important and I think I've got it. What if he is taking different because he is playing out different periods of time, different _scenes _in his life?"

"That would make sense if he lost his lover," JJ mused.

"He wanted to freeze his life and live in that moment forever, and he's found a way to do it," Hotch said stoically.

"And, it's probably that leaving the hairs there are his way of remaining 'faithful' to his other abductees," Reid continued, his face worried.

"And we need to find out if the three week gap between abductions is coincidental or a part of his fantasy," Lara said, wondering. She knew that even though the fantasy was a compulsion, the unsub was probably mentally unstable. These fantasies were vital to him and he really believed in them.

"For now we'll assume that it's a part of it," Hotch replied, his face stern.

Morgan flipped open his phone and dialled a number.

"P.G. here, and parental guidance is advised. What can I do for you?" Penelope's cheery voice came from the phone.

"It's the team here," Morgan told her. "How many redhead women in their late twenties to early thirties have died in the last three months in Denver?"

Penelope clicked her tongue. "A depressingly long list I'm afraid. You got anything else?"

"No, that's all Garcia, thanks," Hotch replied. "Will you look into Evie, Lorna and Siobhan's personal life closer? They have to have something in common."

"Will do sir," Penelope answered and hung up. The team glanced at each other, but avoided meeting eyes. Lara knew, as did the other agents, that they had no leads and it was up to Penelope Garcia.

_**I do not own Criminal Minds. Thanks to anyone who has been keeping up with this story and anybody who just found it. A review or and ego boost wouldn't go amiss though *hint, hint*. So ... That's all folks. Thanks**_.

_**Note; I just discovered that I posted a completely different chapter for chapter four. It's for something else I did a while ago. I'm really sorry for all the confusion. Hope the story is more enjoyable now it's fixed.**_


	6. Chapter 6

"This unsub kidnaps for his fantasy. He's not going to break his three week pattern," Lara said, worried. They were no closer to catching the unsub than they had been yesterday. Morgan sighed.

"We can't just hang around here for the next three weeks and wait for him to take another woman," he said impatiently.

Rossi folded his arms, "If the case goes on that long or goes cold we'll probably be taken off. We've given the profile and that's all we were meant to do –"

The phone rang, cutting Rossi off. He smiled and pressed the answer button. "Please tell me you have something Garcia."

"Do I ever my friend and you might want to get everyone together and sit down, 'cause I'm about to blow your white cotton socks off," Penelope said breathlessly at the other end of the line. JJ looked over to Hotch, Reid and DI Ramphal and signalled for them to come over.

"You've found something Garcia?" Reid asked, pulling up a chair and sitting down.

"Yes I have and prepare yourselves. So I searched through everything and zip, no trail. Zero, nil, nada."

"Baby Girl, say you didn't call to tell us this," Morgan groaned, running a hand over his scalp.

"I didn't call to tell you that. Anyhoo, I was stuck and then it hit me. What if they had all been to the same place but hadn't been to the same place really?" Penelope questioned the team at large. Lara frowned. She waited for Penelope to explain because honestly, she was a bit more than confused.

"Right. Great. Lost," Emily stated bluntly. Lara smiled, feeling exactly the same.

Penelope cleared her throat. "Baffling, I know. But what if they had been to the same place, but not for the same reason, like a community centre. "

"That's … That's brilliant Garcia," Reid said, amazed at her skills. The rest of the team nodded in agreement.

"Aw, thank you Boy Wonder. So, naturally, I looked up all local community centres and the like. I have three in the immediate area and I'm checking everybody our victims might've had contact with, but that might take some time. There are different projects and courses and leaders and lecturers and instructors, hence, you guys might be faster doing a manual search. I'm sending the addresses to you guys now."

"We'll have a look. Thanks Garcia," Hotch said, even smiling a little. Lara knew as well as he did that without Penelope they would have nothing. He looked at his tablet, at what Lara presumed were the addresses.

Ramphal pointed at the best routes to take to the centres. Hotch spilt them up and sent them to each centre. Lara and Rossi were on their way to Fair River Community Centre.

::::::::::

"Excuse me miss?" Rossi said amicably to a brunette woman who was buzzing around a reception desk at Fair River Community Centre.

She glanced up quickly at them, then gathered papers in her hands and tried to squeeze all the sheets into an envelope. She gave up halfway and wiped her hands on her jeans. "What can I do for you?"

"We're with the FBI," Lara informed the receptionist, who's face went from cheery to worried in a second. She and Rossi flashed their badges. "Don't worry," Lara assured her. "Everything is fine miss, we would just like to ask you a few questions."

"Um, ok," the woman said nervously. "My name is Alana Evra."

"Miss Evra, how many programmes do you have using the community centre in, say, a week?" Rossi said, his tone gentle. Lara saw he was trying to calm her.

"In a week? In any one day alone we can have seven to ten."

"Would you know the course leaders personally?" Lara asked. It was long shot and she didn't expect results. Hell, even if Alana did, there was sure to be more volunteers.

"No, that's more of Mrs Redmond's job. Audrey Redmond. She's straight down the corridor, second door on the left if you want to talk to her," Alana told them. Rossi nodded at her.

"Thank you."

Alana shot them one last look and resumed her battle with the envelope. Lara and Rossi walked down the corridor and paused outside the door.

"Are we going to give her the profile?" Lara asked, looking to the senior agent for advice.

"That's probably best, but don't say what he's done. Remember, we don't need the media finding this out," he replied. They knocked on the door and a black woman in her fifties opened it. Behind her there was around thirty children running around. There were two women and a young man helping the children, who were around seven to ten years old.

"Yes?"

Rossi glanced at Lara and she nodded, understanding. She showed her badge and said, "We're with the FBI. Audrey Redmond?" The woman nodded suspiciously and Lara continued, "Could we have a word?"

The woman she was guessing was Audrey raised an eyebrow and turned back to the children.

"Jordan, can you hold up on your own for a minute?" she said to the man, then stepped outside and half closed the door.

"What is this about?" she asked. Lara was impressed. This woman didn't have the same reaction to Bureau agents as Alana. She shared another look with Rossi. This woman would want to know the full story.

"Mrs Redmond, we're investigating a series of kidnappings, and we believe the kidnapper may work in a community centre or be a part of courses that are offered in one. We were told you could tell us about some of the course leaders," Rossi explained to her.

"You think it's someone who works here?" Mrs Redmond asked.

"We're just asking around in all local community centres to see if there is anyone who's behaviour matches the kidnapper. Would you be willing to listen to a description?" Lara said, watching her carefully.

"Fire away."

"We know it's a man. He's always been quiet, but recently been even more withdrawn. He's probably suffered a personal loss, a death in the family or divorce," Rossi informed her. Mrs Redmond wasn't impressed.

"We have at least two hundred course workers. I'm going to need something that stands out."

Lara wasn't surprised. He mightn't even work in a project. There was the possibility he took part in them, even if it was less likely. The amount of people we had to go through was gigantic. Lara's phone buzzed, interrupting her thoughts.

"Do you mind waiting a minute? This could be more information," Lara asked Mrs Redmond, who, while looking impatient, nodded.

Lara answered the phone and stepped away from Mrs Redmond, Rossi following. She put it on loud speaker.

"Lara?"

"Lara and I are here Garcia," Rossi told the woman.

"Right you are sir and have I got something for you two. After going through pretty much everything, which really tested my patience might I add, I found out that Fair River Community Centre is the only one all three women had ties to. Evie's daughter went to an after school club there, Lorna had a book club and Siobhan went to an art class there."

"Have you called Hotch?" Lara questioned. The dilemma remained though. They didn't know who their unsub was, but it did lower the suspect pool.

"He's on his way."

"Thanks for letting us know Garcia. We'll question the staff more thoroughly," Rossi stated, his voice thankful.

"No problemo my friends," was the last thing Penelope said before she ended the call.

Rossi and Lara approached Mrs Redmond again. "That was our technical analyst," Rossi told her. "We know for certain he met the woman in this centre. He's most likely in his late twenties to early thirties. Caucasian too."

"I still need something more to go on," she insisted.

Something occurred to Lara and she voiced it, "He's probably been acting strange, especially around redheads. Have you had any complaints, maybe not of inappropriate behaviour in the typical sense, more like staring?"

Mrs Redmond's eyebrows drew together in thought. "Redheads? Well there – Now you mention it, a man does come to mind. His- oh, his fiancé died in a car crash about five months ago. She was pregnant as well," she looked at the ground in sadness, "It was a terrible thing to happen to him. He only came back to work last month. But he fits your description."

Rossi and Lara looked at each other. "What is his name Mrs Redmond?" Lara asked, the urgency she felt showing in her tone. It was a horrible thing to happen to a man, Lara reflected. His family was ripped away from him. But if they brought him in, they could get him help.

"PJ Davies. He- damn it!" Mrs Redmond exclaimed. Lara and Rossi's facial expressions turned to those of alarm.

Mrs Redmond continued. "He's due in now! He's with kids! The after-school club!" She went to rush down the corridor but Rossi stopped her.

"Mrs Redmond! Mrs Redmond, please calm down. Just go in calmly and ask to talk to him about something normal, rotas or the like. We'll be right outside, just hang on a moment," Rossi said serenely. He took out his phone.

"You text Garcia and have her look up Davies, we have to get him out of there now. The longer we wait the more dangerous it is for the children," he said to Lara.

"Done," she told him. She texted Garcia and Rossi called Hotch quickly explained the situation to him. He was still on his way, but they had the go-ahead. Emily, Morgan and JJ were heading to his house.

"Remember, keep calm," Rossi reminded Mrs Redmond. Her panicked manner was gone now, and if anything, she was determined to keep those children safe.

She went in and Lara took a deep breath, her hand on her firearm. She drew it slowly, but kept it focused on the ground, as did Agent Rossi. She remembered that he wrote the book on hostage negotiation (literally) and hoped no one would have to suffer.

Mrs Redmond walked out, looking relieved. "He's not there. He's been sick since Monday."

"That was when Siobhan Buckley was taken," Lara said. He was at his house, where Emily, Morgan and JJ were heading.

Even Rossi looked worried, Lara noticed with apprehension. "Then he's at home, so that's where we go."

::::::::::

Thankfully, they had reached Morgan. He and JJ and Emily were in the SUV around the corner from his house along with Hotch and four police cars. Lara and Rossi weren't far from them. Garcia had started a conference call between them all.

"So, Lara texted me a guy's name, PJ Davies, and while I would've preferred to hear her beautiful voice, she gave me a good one," Penelope said, and despite the situation, Lara smiled.

"You're making me blush P.G. but go on," she said, grateful for her attempt to lighten the moment.

"Anyway, poor PJ's fiancée, Sara, who was a red-head by the way, was killed in a car collision four months ago. She was five months pregnant. Horrible experience, but three months ago various offers were made to buy the house they shared together. Remember D.I. Ramphal said a lot of housing estates were being converted into warehouses? Well, theirs was one of them. His job doesn't bring in much money, so he probably would have to sell eventually."

"That must be the stressor. He snapped and just wanted his wife back," Morgan said through the line. Lara felt profusely sorry for what PJ Davies had gone through.

"So he kidnapped these women to pretend she was still with him," Hotch stated. Lara guessed it was his job to remain unaffected by cases, and his voice showed no emotion. Rossi turned a corner in the road and drove up to the SUV containing the other agents.

All of them got out and approached each other. Detective Inspector Ramphal was talking to paramedics who were waiting outsie.

"We should probably go in soft," Morgan began. "We don't want to scare him into hurting those women."

Hotch nodded in agreement. "We have SWAT ready to go. Prentiss, Morales, Dave and Reid take the front. Morgan, JJ and I will go in through the back. You find a hostage, get them out of there."

"Got it," Emily said, pulling on a Kevlar vest. Lara strapped her vest on as everyone else did the same. Morgan gave SWAT the signal to go.

Lara moved in with the other agents and the SWAT team. They waited by the door as a man picked the lock. He succeeded and gently pushed the door open. Dave went in first. He and Emily went down the hallway to the end room, keeping their footsteps light. Lara and Reid separated, going into the rooms to the left and right.

Lara froze at the sight in front of her. She quickly checked the room and whispered for Reid. Lara scurried towards the woman. She was tied to the chair, but looked weak. Lara lifted her eyelids as Reid entered the room, lowering his gun.

"Her pupils are dilated. She's been drugged," she whispered to him. "Lorna Dellmare?" Lorna found the strength to nod.

"We're going to get you out of her, we'll have you checked out, you'll be safe and with your family in no time," Lara told her quietly, freeing her from the restraints. Reid raised his sleeve to his face and spoke into it.

"We've got Lorna Dellmare, Morales is bringing her out." He listened to his earpiece. "JJ's got Evie Larsen."

Lara put Lorna's arm over her shoulder and helped her stand up. She really hoped Lorna would be okay and that the drugs wouldn't harm her system.

"Cover me," Lara whispered to Reid, who did just that as she helped Lorna hobble outside to a waiting ambulance. JJ was with Evie Larsen. After making sure the women were in the paramedics' capable hands, Lara and the blonde agent carefully headed back into the house.

When they heard voices, they froze on the stairs. Rossi was negotiating with Davies. That meant Siobhan was up there.

"I – I can't lose her again. I can't!" Davies exclaimed, his voice getting louder. Lara prayed they wouldn't have to shoot the man. It was sentimental, she knew, but she didn't want the man who had suffered so much to die.

"She's gone PJ, but do you think she'll approve of what you're doing?" Rossi asked gently.

"She – No – She, I don't know! I just want her back!" Davies began to cry, his voice distraught. Lara tried to hide her pity for the man, but she could tell JJ felt sorry for him too.

"But you're taking this woman away, just like Sara was taken away from you. Do you want to be that?" Rossi asked him.

"I – No," Davies took on a defeated tone. "No I don't," he said weakly. There was a clatter and Lara guessed he dropped a knife. She and JJ rushed to the door to help Siobhan. Together they half carried her to the ambulance.

Lara and JJ both shared a look. They could help Davies now. But they were glad it was over.

::::::::::

Spencer glanced at the clock on the wall by Hotch's office. He knew for a fact that it was approximately three minutes and thirty two seconds late, but he quickly did the math in his head. Half past one in the morning.

He swung his tan leather bag over his shoulder and headed towards the exit when something caught his eye.

It was SSA Lara Morales, her head on her desk, her shoulders slumped. Hotch was in his office and Anderson and Petigof were sorting out something with the Organised Crimes Unit. A report, he was almost sure, about how psychological abuse given to adolescents contributed to violent tendencies with a group in later life .

Spencer listened carefully. Her breathing was shallow and even. That's when he realised; she was asleep.

Her dark brown hair was in a ponytail and to one side, leaving her with somewhere to breathe. Spencer, without thinking, approached her quietly. It was the right thing to do, he knew, but he still felt bad about it as he gently prodded her shoulder.

"Morales," he whispered, then wondered why he was keeping his voice down.

He poked her harder. "Lara." She stirred.

"_Cinco momentos por favour_," Lara muttered. Spencer shook her shoulder gently. "Wake up."

Immediately her head shot up and her hand went to the gun at her waist. Spencer held up his hands to show he meant no harm.

"I'm sorry, You were asleep and –"

"I what?" Lara blinked, waking up fully. Her normally coffee coloured cheeks turned pink. She stood up quickly, putting her hands in front of her. Spencer was confused for a moment, something which was rare enough. "I am so so sorry. I can't believe it, I swear that will never ever happen again. I –"

"Don't worry about it," Spencer said, realising she thought she was going to get into trouble with him.

"Though, speaking from personal experience, you should probably go home and get some rest. Sleep heightens the rejuvenation of the nervous, immune and muscular systems. You know," he continued chuckling slightly, "A lot of people think sleep preserves energy, when really it only slows your metabolism by five to ten per cent, which really isn't much at all."

Lara looked at him blankly for a moment, then shook her head vigorously. "No I can't. I have to finish this file and then I'll go."

"Nobody's going to be annoyed if you don't get all your work done. After all, you have to tie up the files on some of your old cases too, right?" Spencer asked. Her dark eyes were curious and, he couldn't help but notice, very pretty too.

"How do you know that?"

He shrugged guiltily. "Um, I may have had a look." She grinned. "But you still should get some sleep." Lara sobered quickly.

"_Tengo de sobra_ – sorry, I'm still half asleep – I've had enough. And I need to finish these. I don't want to let anyone down," Lara said with determination.

"Don't be ridiculous," Spencer paused and patted her shoulder awkwardly. To his relief she didn't say anything about it. "You've got nothing to prove."

Lara shook her head. "That's kind of you, but I'm still _el recién llegado_, the newcomer."

Spencer nodded, knowing he wasn't going to get anywhere. "I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Yes, bye," Lara straightened some files on her desk distractedly. Spencer was just about to step through the glass doors towards the elevator when she called him by his name, "Spencer?"

He turned around and took a few steps towards her curiously. She smiled apologetically.

"I was wondering … Have you ever felt sorry for an unsub? Thought that maybe if their life had gone differently, nothing would have ever happened?"

"Yes, I have. But we were lucky today, I mean, we got Davies out alive. He'll heal with time," Reid answered. Morales was concerned for the man. Reid wasn't surprised when he remembered how she shot Cole Menele in the hand instead of the chest. A part of it was to keep the business man Cusack out of danger, but Reid could see she was compassionate towards life.

"But he'll never be the same, or have the same life," Lara said but her statement sounded like a question.

"I guess not," Spencer summed up. He knew what she wanted to say. It's not fair. It wasn't, he learnt that a long time ago. But it still didn't seem right that someone who had everything could be left with nothing.

Lara gave him a small smile. "Thanks Spencer."

"No problem," he said, smiling in farewell. "Have a goodnight. You know, doing reports."

She chuckled sleepily. "I will. 'Night."

"_Tears are only water, and flowers, trees, and fruit cannot grow without water. But there must be sunlight also. A wounded heart will heal in time, and when it does, the memory and love of our lost ones is sealed inside to comfort us." Brian Jacques._

_**I don't own Criminal Minds. Well, this is a very quick update (for me) and a longer chapter than usual (once again; for me). I only realised my mess up with chapter four a day or two ago, so sorry about that. If there is anyone reading this that is. In the next chapter there will probably be a two month skip, nothing special happens in it, it's just so the team are more comfortable around Lara. But I hope you enjoyed this chpter and this case. Well, maybe not enjoyed because that would be kind of creepy.**_

_**I'm going to stop rambling and finish now. Review please!**_


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